Search results (tags) for: "cha"

Etsy in the Press: Creative Ventures

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:12:00 -0000

June has been buzzing with talk of crafty entrepreneurship. Where to begin? How about Sydney Stoyan's heart warming tale of her Etsy experience in the National Post? It is our favorite kind of story: buyer needs necklace, buyer finds Etsy, buyer meets seller, they start a friendship. Buyer goes on to form relationships with other sellers, and discovers the pleasure of the relationships and meaning that come from buying handmade. Describing her new found joy, she concludes by saying, "You simply cannot buy this kind of thing from Louis Vuitton."

The Wall Street Journal published a piece recently describing how online selling has opened new doors for artists who want to make a living from their passions. In a similar vein, Etsy features prominently in a cover story in the May issue of Entrepreneur's StartUps magazine. The article gives some good advice on pricing and marketing your creations online, as well as tips for real-world displays. It also provides insight on the relationship between art and commerce. The Boston Business Journal just ran a thoughtful story about the rise of Upcycling, a favorite practice of mine. The current issue of Crochet Today magazine has a great introductory piece about Etsy as well, featuring interviews with Matt and a few Etsy sellers. Express, an offshoot of the Washington Post, also ran a story detailing the challenges facing upstart handmade businesses. Steve Berger, CEO of the Craft & Hobby Association, was on ABC's Money Matters, talking about the recent boom in crafting (Americans spend $32 billion on craft supplies annually!). He spoke about what crafts are popular these days, and how the internet (and Etsy in particular) has influenced the recent growth and changed the crafting culture.

On the buyers' side of things, Etsy fan, Rob Walker, was interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle, talking about his new book, Buying In (in which Etsy is mentioned). In the interview, he tells a short but amusing tale about a tie that he recently purchased on Etsy. Finally, the cultural media site artinfo.com recommends Etsy as a great place to begin collecting affordable art.

That's all for now, friends. Happy reading!

National Craft Month & The Craft Congress

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:34:00 -0000

Did you know March is National Craft Month in the US?

But hey, for Storque readers, when is it not Craft Month, anyway? Not to poo-poo this celebration at all: we should take the time to reflect on our collective project here: the indie craft movement. It's an opportunity to spread awareness about consumerism, and to think about how entrepreneurship and hands-on learning can improve people's lives. CHA (the Craft and Hobby Association) is spearheading the "National Craft Month" promotion, and you can find out more about events they're sponsoring and ways to get involved here.

The Craft Congress will be holding its second event in April in San Francisco. Matt went to the first one in Pittsburgh and talked with the crafting community about Etsy's mission to help indie artists and crafters make a living making things. You can read more about the upcoming event and the Craft Con in general here:

"Craft Con was born in 2007 as Craft Congress in Pittsburgh, PA . This launch event brought together more than fifty indie craft show organizers from across the US, Canada, as well as the UK, to share knowledge, skills and experiences. Topics ranged all the way from guerrilla marketing strategy to securing corporate sponsorship. Colleagues from across the world were able to meet face to face for the first time. Establishing a strong and supportive network for those who attended, the event also sparked crucial discussion about the future of the craft movement.
Read more about 2007:
New York Times
Washington City Paper
Craft Con 2008 heralds huge growth for the project. The event in San Francisco has been planned via the internet by crafters from all over the world. April’s conference will welcome participants from all areas of crafting, making a special effort to connect younger and upcoming crafters with the experience and savvy of their antecedents. Craft Con will facilitate much broader discussion and planning in key areas of concern for the movement, in particular the viability of sustainable business and enterprise and establishing the permanence of crafting in society."

Crafters can also intentionally take this month as an opportunity to teach a friend or loved one how to make something. There's nothing more empowering than experiencing the process of learning something new with one's hands.

Comment below and let us know what skill you can share!

The Mega-Beth Tour: Anaheim Edition

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:44:00 -0000

Beth, who works on the Etsy Business Operations Team, is on the road with a slew of business trips for Etsy, and so she's meeting with Etsy sellers along the way and filling us in on her travels. Thus, we're calling it the Mega-Beth Tour, Beth's professionalism notwithstanding. Here's her account...

This trip, I was accompanied by the lovely Christina (aka missbatch) where she showed me the ropes at the annual Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) trade show. This was a huge trade show, comprised of nearly a thousand craft supply manufacturers — and I was certainly overwhelmed, but we met a lot of great people and hopefully planted seeds that will turn into great partnerships and relationships. We are excited to tell you more about that once it is developed in the months to come.

While I was disappointed to be so close to Disneyland and not have a chance to hang with Mickey, I was very happy to be able sit down with a couple of fantastic Etsy sellers: Nina of ninagibsondesigns and Christine of chocolateandsteel, who made the trip from Los Angeles to meet us. Both were very excited about our new Cooperative Advertising Program, although they were disappointed they missed getting a spot (I hope you had better luck the next time around). Some of their favorite features are Shop Local (also my personal favorite), where they received a few local orders for Valentine's Day, and Pounce, which is a great way to find new and upcoming artists.

Christina and I also got a sneak peak at ninagibsondesigns new prototype necklace (on the left in the picture above); she was inspired by a buyer request to turn one of her tally mark earring designs into a necklace. The necklace on the right, made from precious metal clay, is by chocolateandsteel. It is called Accept Love and is for sale in her shop. Both ladies welcome custom orders, so drop them a convo if you have something special in mind.

While walking the floor at the CHA, Christina and I had the opportunity to meet Cathie Filian, an avid Etsy seller, blogger and co-host of DIY's Creative Juice, along with Steve Piacenza (pictured above, left). We also met Cathie's husband Gary Byers (above, right), who admitted since the writers' strike he has been very busy helping her fulfill Etsy orders. Their energy was infectious and their crafts are just too cute! Check out the glossy Elizabeth Taylor pop art they made for Plaid paint.

Other highlights of the trip included catching up with Storque contributor and westcoastcrafty blogger Susan Beal, whose new jewelry book, Bead Simple, hits newsstands the end of March.

Christina met up with Vickie Howell, Etsy seller and host of Craft.Rock.Love., her series of podcasts, available for your listening pleasure here. (She was actually texting the pattern for a knitted tie to a friend, when we snapped her picture: we love when high-tech meets handmade!)

And last, but certainly not least, we got to preview crafty chica Cathy Cano Murillo's new line of crafty goodness for Duncan, including paints, stencils and glitter (of course!), plus lots of fun bases for embellishment like Frida-printed totes, "Create a Saint" icons and chihuahuas! Don't you love her customized apron?

Many thanks to everyone for sharing their time and thoughts about Etsy. I am looking forward to seeing another group of sellers soon in Chicago.

See Beth's post from her previous trip to Miami.

Etsy Finds: Style to Go

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:04:00 -0000

Next week, I'll be visiting the massive craft wholesalers trade show in Anaheim, California, known as CHA. In prepping for my first Etsy business trip, I wanted to find some cool travel gear to truly represent in style. First I was thinking about a tricked-out lab coat, or an awesome business card holder...maybe something covered in faux fur with eyes and a tongue? Then I came across this amazing pop art-inspired travel case by finalapproach, which is all decked out in spray paint and graphic paper cut-outs. Though I'm not a Kennedy assassination conspiracy theorist, I can appreciate it as a piece of art. I just love the idea of a suitcase as a surface for a great design, even if it never leaves the house!

PS: If you're in the Anaheim area on Monday, February 11, and would like to meet up with myself and a few local Etsy sellers, post a comment below!